Crucifying Religion: How Jesus is the End of Religion

by Donovan Riley

Jesus is the end of all religion. He did not come to tweak Judaism or create a new religion. When the nails were driven into his hands and feet, when the spear pierced his side, when he said, “It is finished,” all the religions we have invented were crucified. In the brain-dead silence of his tomb and in Jesus’ resurrection power, the question, “What must I do to be saved,” receives its answer. All the sacrifices of priests and people are rendered null and void by Jesus’ one-time-for-all-time sacrifice for all people, everywhere, past, present, and future tense. Jesus’ death and resurrection save us from our own religiosity.

Genres: Religion

118 pages, Paperback

Published August 1, 2019

Reviews

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

By grace alone, through faith alone, on account of Christ alone. For you. A richly simple gospel. He touches on all the basics — law and gospel, saint and sinner, baptism and communion, the freedom of a Christian.

I’ve been a fan of Riley for a while now, and I will basically read anything he writes. This simple little 100 page book is golden. I’d hand this to anyone looking for an easy start to answers about Christianity, old or new.

There are so many good quotes I could pull, but here are just a few:

“But from what we learn about Jesus, God does not want to lift us up out of our humanity. He becomes a man to restore our lost humanity.”

“Christianity is different... The direction of our religion and worship is not from us to God. It is not a sacrificial religion at all, but a sacramental faith. That means we trust in God’s giving to us and his sacrifices for us.”

“His commands put us in an impossible position, which is exactly where he wants us. He wants to expose the power of sin in our lives.... It is not what God commands but what the Son has done to fulfill God’s commands in our place that finally matters.... salvation for those who have been shown they never had a chance at saving themselves by obeying God’s commands.”

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great weekend read, Riley’s writing style might be described as Stream-of-Christ-Consciousness. This is a gospel preacher in full riff on the goodness and gifts of God in Christ for you. Part memoir and fully incisive, you will come away from this book with nowhere left to hide but in Christ and his grace.
Riley’s podcasts are great as well. Banned Books and As Lutheran As It Gets.

[Michael Glaub · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each chapter starts with a real life experience from Donavan Riley, he then follows that rabbit hole into the questions that he struggles with and then comes out the other side with heavy Lutheran doctrine, with distinctions of law and gospel and proclamation of the “for-you-ness” of Christ.

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good read to remind me over and over again that following Jesus brings freedom, not bondage. I wish the American church preached Christ crucified instead of moral good works and expectations.

[Teri Reck · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fantastic writing from one who was not raised in the faith, one not comfortable in the faith, one who questioned and wrestled with the answers that he found. I think that sometimes those are the ones that God uses most---the ones that come to understand that the Christian faith is true almost against their wills! Lots of trends come and go and return or not in our faith lives, much as in our day to day lives, but I have been dismayed at the amount of legalism in the Church these days, the amount of Jesus PLUS that we have saddled the the faithful with--instead of knowing that Jesus is sufficient and that the law is IMPOSSIBLE for us to keep so we have no choice but to accept the Good News. A quote from the book that I loved--"we desperately need a Savior, one who will rescue us from our delusions of lawfulness." We find that savior in the Word made flesh who dwelt among us, who taught us to love. A very worthy read!

[Bror · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been waiting for this book for sometime, as I have followed Donavon online and conversed with him in conferences. If you like his blog posts at 1517.org, you will like this book. If you like this book, check out his blog posts. This is the book you can hand to your friends and know that when they read it they will encounter Christ who crucifies religion when he buries you into his death and raises you up to walk in the newness of life.
It should be noted, this is not one of those "Christianity isn't a religion its a relationship" books. Donavon is quite aware that religion has a couple definitions and even Christianity as he understands it can be called a religion by some of those. What he is doing is showing you that this religion is different than the one you have. And you have a religion whether you like it or not. He takes the common concept of religion, doing whatever to please a god as espoused by an Ancient sage, an oracle of philosophical wisdom, a comic book, or popular culture, or the desire to be popular and crucifies it with the teachings of Christ. Most people think religion is good, it is the tool that keeps people good. Not Christ, and Donavon shows why. Christ crucified all that by dying on the cross, it was the only way he could bury your sin, your idols, you false worship.
With soul searching tangents taking you to the dark corners of life lived in an atheist home and an abusive alcoholic for a father, Donavon brings the gospel to life showing how it has real world application in a world besought with evil and broken souls, breaking the bonds of Sin, and bringing life to sinners.

[Jeff Enderle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple little book with a profound message. The author takes his readers through his personal struggles at finding meaning and purpose in his life. So often "religion" was more a cause of frustration than relief. After investigating many religious options, the author is finally shown the gospel. Jesus for you is the central message of this book. What Jesus has done for you is the message that frees people from religion, from searching for meaning and endlessly seeking purpose on their own terms. Jesus giving his forgiveness is the solution to torturing ourselves with attempts to do better and be better. The finished work of Jesus is the key to finding freedom in life.

I would highly recommend this book. It would be especially appropriate to share with someone who is struggling in their faith or searching for answers.

[Justin Chester · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed Pastor Riley's perspective, story, and thoughts he presented in this book. Christianity is certainly different from all other religions of the world as Christ drags all false doctrines and world religions of the past, present, and future to the grave with Him, and Christ alone for you rises victorious.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I discovered Donovan Riley through 1517.org and The Banned Books podcast. This book is a bit autobiographical and part gospel driven. I enjoyed this because he clearly argued religion is keeping rules where the Gospel is resting in the work Christ did on the cross.

It was a quick but deep read and I recommend it for anyone who just is struggling with our doing versus Christ’s done

[Connor Longaphie · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I've read this year hands down

[Singingpenguin · Rating 5 out of 5]

"All of faith and works are wrapped in Jesus' faithfulness and work for us. That is why the gospel is such a simple, comforting message to deliver. Everything has already been done for us by Christ Jesus. Confessing this, God sends us out into the world [...] to announce the good news that religiosity does not save us. Our beliefs and obedience to God do not save us. Nothing we do and nothing anyone does to us can separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ. All that is needful for salvation, for us and for the world, has already been accomplished by Jesus."

That'll preach, as they say here in Oklahoma.

I only wish this book had been better edited. It is chock full of typos and I'm sorely tempted to dock a star for it. Hopefully some of them can be fixed for future printings, because they definitely distract from the good news otherwise so capably conveyed in this little book.